


33 1/3 rpm

by easycomeeasygo



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Record Store, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Kun and Sehun are the greek chorus, M/M, Meet-Cute, Minor Lee Taeyong/Qian Kun, Non-Binary Oh Sehun, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:19:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26036290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/easycomeeasygo/pseuds/easycomeeasygo
Summary: He comes in as expected, dressed immaculately, and begins looking through records. Chanyeol does his best not to look like he’s watching him, but judging by the way Kun is looking at him and the guy with a hint of amusement, he’s doing a shitty job of it.He finally comes over, handing Chanyeol a record of Gregorian chanting.“I… did not know we had that,” Chanyeol says.He smiles widely, his eyes turning into crescents. “An interesting surprise then, right?”
Relationships: Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 17
Kudos: 59





	33 1/3 rpm

**Author's Note:**

> unbeta'd, this has been haunting my gdocs for too long xo
> 
> title is the speed that LPs spin at!

Chanyeol owns a record store. It’s in a nondescript alley in Seogyo-dong. It’s his pride and joy--he gets the best records he can find of all genres. He’ll do special orders from his overseas suppliers for his customers; he even helps the more musically inclined ones with finding hard to get sheet music or instrument and equipment recommendations. It’s everything he could have ever dreamed of achieving, and it’s all his. Honestly, he’s shocked at how well it’s doing, but he supposes that when there’s a niche, there’s a way.

He has a bunch of regulars. Hyoyeon is slowly building a classic rock collection. She’s just finished up The Beatles and has moved onto Pink Floyd. There’s a man who only gets jazz records. He never really talks to Chanyeol but he always splurges on the imports, so Chanyeol always orders any jazz record his supplier finds him. There’s this hyperactive kid who gets rap albums and bothers his only employee, Kun, on his shifts. There’s also Kun’s crush, Taeyong, who is too pretty with studs and rings in their ears whose hair is a different color each time they come in and get punk records.

They’re all reasonably routine when it comes to the records they get.

But there’s one regular who always trips him up. He’s small, maybe around the same height as Kyungsoo. It’s cute; he’s cute. He comes in twice a month, each time looking ridiculously put together in what he can tell is a designer suit, recognizing the quality of it from what he’s seen Jongin and Sehun wear. But the records he buys? They’re all over the fucking place. The first time he got _Rubber Soul_ , a straightforward and reasonable vinyl purchase. Every collection needs a Beatles album, and he’s glad that he got the best one. But then he got the Sound of Music OST. And then a weird opera one that he honestly had no idea he was carrying.

He comes in as expected, dressed immaculately, and begins looking through records. Chanyeol does his best not to look like he’s watching him, but judging by the way Kun is looking at him and the guy with a hint of amusement, he’s doing a shitty job of it.

He finally over, handing Chanyeol a record of Gregorian chanting.

“I… did not know we had that,” Chanyeol says.

He smiles widely, his eyes turning into crescents. “An interesting surprise then, right?”

Chanyeol nods, and he hands over his card. He manages to take a quick glimpse at it before he runs it. _Kim Junmyeon_. It’s a good name.

He gives him, _Junmyeon_ , his record in a bag and his card and receipt. “Thanks for coming in, I’ll see you next time.”

Junmyeon does a little wave with his free hand and turns and leaves.

“When are you going to have a real conversation with him?” Kun asks.

“When you finally talk to piercings and dyed hair,” Chanyeol shoots back.

“Their name is Taeyong,” Kun mumbles back, a blush blooming on his face.

“Did you ask or do what I just did?”

“I asked, hyung,” Kun replies, full of judgment, “Like a normal person.”

Chanyeol sighs. “Go clean or organize a section or something.”

-

The next time Junmyeon comes, he picks up a Christmas album.

It’s March.

-

Junmyeon has always been coming in on a weekday, usually a Wednesday or Thursday, so it catches Chanyeol off guard seeing him come into the record store on a Saturday. It also catches him off guard that instead of being in a perfectly tailored suit he’s in a Golf Wang sweatshirt and hat and Off-White Nikes. He also goes straight for the Rap section. Chanyeol is thrown and honestly, a little bit more in love.

Junmyeon finally comes to the counter after looking around for 20 minutes with four records: _Flower Boy_ , _Channel Orange_ , _Labor Days_ , and _OK, Computer_.

“Holy shit, I love Radiohead,” Chanyeol says as he scans it.

“Yeah, they’re really good. _OK, Computer_ is a classic,” Junmyeon replies with a kind smile.

“This is… different than what you’ve usually been getting?”

He laughs melodically. “My friend and I went halfsies for a birthday present. We agreed that he would buy him the record player, and I’d give Yixing a record when we’d get dinner. He’s… He’s so fucking weird. Hence the weird choices. I’ll ask him what he wants next, and he’ll just say something super random.”

Chanyeol is dumbfounded. “So, these are…?”

“These are mine,” he says proudly. “I finally got a record player for myself, so I wanted to get some of my favorites first.”

“I wouldn’t have guessed these at all.”

“Can’t judge a book by their work clothes.”

“I’m Chanyeol,” he blurts out.

“Junmyeon. It’s nice to know your name now.”

-

Chanyeol spends all of dinner drinking too much beer and soju, complaining to Sehun, Jongdae, Kyungsoo, Jongin, and Baekhyun about how he can’t talk to Junmyeon.

“He said it was nice to know my name now,” Chanyeol whines, “What does that mean?”

“That he wanted to know it, hyung,” Kyungsoo replies as Sehun tops everyone up on soju.

“It seems like he likes you, hyung,” Jongin says, his lips pursed in a pout.

“I don’t get why you’re so bad at this,” Jongdae adds, “It’s not like you’ve never dated in your life.”

“He was weird looking for too long,” Baekhyun replies before Chanyeol can say anything. “He’s just big and awkward.”

“Says the one who only ever leaves their room for food,” Sehun says, making Baekhyun choke on their shot.

“Jongdae-yah your partner is a menace,” they finally manage to say. Sehun just shrugs while Jongdae laughs loudly, grabbing Sehun’s wrist affectionately.

“I thought this was about me,” Chanyeol pouts.

The five of them all turn to him, with varying looks that seem to say _Really Chanyeol?_

“Just ask him about music,” Kyungsoo says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Chanyeol feels stupid when he realizes that it actually _is_ obvious.

“He probably wants to talk to you anyway,” Sehun adds, “Just don’t be a freak about it. I’ll get Kun to keep me updated. I’ll come embarrass you if you’re being a freak.”

Chanyeol heads home with their words bouncing around in his head. He can do this, he can talk to a stranger who obviously shares an interest with him. He just has to do anything possible to not be fucking weird about it and not have to worry about Sehun doing Sehun things, embarrassing him.

-

The next time Junmyeon comes in, he greets Chanyeol by name, to Kun’s visible surprise. As Junmyeon browses, Kun questions him.

“When did that happen?” He asks quietly.

“When that perfect tiny man came in on a Saturday and bought some rap records and fucking _OK, Computer_ for himself,” he replies, looking up and making sure Junmyeon isn’t anywhere within earshot. “The other records have been gifts to his friend. We talked a bit when he was in.”

“He’s not that small. And I swear you’ve only heard one Radiohead album in your life. But progress, hyung!”

Chanyeol rolls his eyes. To be young and optimistic. “Anyway, how’s Taeyong?”

“Good,” Kun says, lighting up excitedly, “We got coffee yesterday.”

“Ugh, why are you beating me?”

“Because I’m _trying_ , hyung. No offense,” Kun replies. There’s an annoying hint of pride on his face.

“Capricorns,” Chanyeol mutters under his breath.

-

Junmyeon comes in on another Saturday.

Instead of browsing the records, he walks straight up to Chanyeol at the counter.

“Hi Chanyeol,” he says warmly. “I was wondering if you would give me recommendations?”

Chanyeol is immediately _excited._ This is one of the things he fucking loves doing. He’s pretty good at figuring what people, even strangers, will enjoy. It helps that he’s seen what Junmyeon has gotten for himself before as well.

“Do you have a genre preference?”

Junmyeon pouts slightly. “Whatever you listen to is fine. I wanna get 3 or 4 records.”

“Kun,” he calls out to the backroom, thankful this is one of the days he has help at the store, “Counter. I’m helping a customer.”

He comes out and smiles politely at Junmyeon and throws a knowing look at Chanyeol. This is what he gets for hiring someone because of their extensive knowledge of goth rock and all 80s alternative: pure judgment at every embarrassing thing he does.

“Let’s start with a classic,” Chanyeol says, digging through Classic Rock until he pulls out an Eric Clapton record. “Here’s the first: Eric Clapton, _461 Ocean Boulevard_. He’s a genius guitar player, I love him.”

He then moves to the new in-store section, pulling out a copy of Bon Iver’s _Blood Bank._ “Sometimes you wanna pretend to be in a cabin in the middle of nowhere alone, you know?”

“Is that so,” Junmyeon murmurs as Chanyeol hands him the record. He hopes he’s not boring him, but when Chanyeol looks at Junmyeon, he’s smiling warmly at him, giving him hope he’s not coming off too strong.

Chanyeol’s relieved the store is relatively empty, Kun taking care of a customer and only a few people browsing, letting him take his time with Junmyeon. “Morrissey is a total asshole but sometimes you just wanna listen to some sad British man croon,” he says, pulling out _The Queen is Dead_. “This is probably one of the best albums made; every song on it is amazing. It really is unfortunate that he’s fucking unbearable.”

“He’s a dick,” Junmyeon agrees.

He’s not sure what he wants to pull for the last album. He’s tempted to do another Radiohead album even though Junmyeon got one last time, because really, what’s better than Radiohead? Junmyeon just waits next to him patiently, carefully examining the records Chanyeol handed him. He’s not saying that he wants to impress Junmyeon, but that’s exactly what he wants to do. He’s gonna win the heart of this tiny man one record at a fucking time.

He suddenly gets an idea. “Oh, I know.” He heads back the Classic Rock section and starts flipping through the records. It feels like a risk, going with another classic rock album instead of a rap or hip-hop one he knows Junmyeon will like, but he’s positive you can’t go wrong with Led Zeppelin. “ _Led Zeppelin IV_ ,” he says, pulling it out and handing it to Junmyeon. Chanyeol feels like he’s about to vibrate out of his skin with how excited he is about what he’s picked out just for him. “It’s their best one, the one with Stairway to Heaven and Black Dog and shit, but Going to California is my favorite Zeppelin song. It’s fucking incredible on vinyl.”

“This is perfect, Chanyeol,” Junmyeon says.

Chanyeol is relieved when he smiles at Junmyeon and he smiles back just as wide.

When Junmyeon walks out, Chanyeol suddenly feels eyes on him. He looks over and sees not just Kun but also Taeyong staring at him.

“What,” he says cautiously, approaching them.

“Why didn’t you ask him out,” Kun questions. “It would have been the perfect opportunity. Or at least you should have gotten his number.”

“Why don’t you ask Taeyong out,” he shoots back.

“He did,” Taeyong says softly.

Chanyeol stares blankly, feeling ganged up on. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you speak before.”

Taeyong rolls their eyes. It reminds him of Sehun. “He obviously likes you. Why else would he even bother asking you for recommendations? Kun’s right, you should have.”

“No, you both can’t bully me. Respect your fucking elders. When did you even get here?”

“When you began sounding like Kun while you were talking about Morrissey,” Taeyong replies.

“You probably could have recommended him Genesis, he looks like he’d vibe with Phil Collins,” Kun adds pensively. “Or solo Phil Collins. Can’t go wrong with _Face Value_. Ooh, or _No Jacket Required_.”

“I don’t know what any of that means,” Chanyeol lies, making Kun roll his eyes dramatically. He continues, “Why would I ask him out? He’s definitely not interested in me.”

Taeyong laughs. They suddenly look so soft and Chanyeol gets why Kun is so enamored. “Kun, did you not mention when he came in the other day?”

Kun smiles. “I forgot about that. Junmyeon came in a few days ago. When he realized you weren’t here, he left.”

Chanyeol’s jaw drops. “Why didn’t you tell me,” he whines, whacking Kun’s arm repeatedly.

“Do you believe that he likes you yet?” Kun asks.

Chanyeol sighs. “Maybe.”

-

Junmyeon comes in on Wednesday in his immaculate suit. Chanyeol would normally be more excited about it, but this time he has Sehun in the store with him.

“That’s a good suit,” Sehun comments, sounding bored. “Prada, maybe?”

“That’s him,” Chanyeol replies, flailing and smacking Sehun’s arm repeatedly, “The guy I was telling you about.”

“He’s short,” They say. “Handsome, though. Not bad, hyung.”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up,” Chanyeol says quietly, as Junmyeon approaches.

He comes to the counter with the soundtrack from The Witch, his eyes darting between Chanyeol and Sehun.

“Really, hyung?” Chanyeol asks as he scans it and puts it into a bag.

Junmyeon shrugs, “Yixing likes horror movies. He asked for a soundtrack.”

Chanyeol suddenly feels like he should look at Sehun. When he turns to them, he sees Sehun staring Junmyeon down.

“Prada?” Sehun finally says.

“Tom Ford, actually,” Junmyeon replies, his eyebrow quirked up in confusion.

Sehun nods their head. “Good taste,” they finally reply. “I’ll allow it. You can continue checking out my hyung as much as you want.”

Junmyeon chokes as Sehun quietly snickers to themself, a grin blooming on their face at the chaos they just unleashed.

Junmyeon is speechless, handing his credit card to Chanyeol.

“That’s Sehun,” Chanyeol finally says. He’s sure his ears are bright red. “They’re my now former best friend and a nightmare. I’m sorry about them.”

Sehun rolls their eyes as Chanyeol hands back Junmyeon’s card and receipt. “Don’t worry, _Junmyeon-ssi,_ Chanyeol checks you out too.”

Chanyeol is going to lose it. “ _Sehun_.”

Sehun gets up from their seat, stretching their long arms above their head, “I’m solving your stupid problem for you.”

“By creating more?”

They look way too proud of themself. “How else do you solve problems, hyung?”

Junmyeon clears his throat. “Are you going to be here Friday night?”

“You’re asking him out, right?” Sehun asks. When Junmyeon begins to blush in lieu of a reply, they continue, “He’s usually here with Kun on Friday’s. I’m sure Kun will be willing to close up for Chanyeol-hyung.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol sputters, “Kun won’t mind.” It’s possibly a complete lie, but at this point, he doesn’t care. He’ll pay Kun extra for the day to make him close up if he has to.

“Dinner then?”

-

Friday comes quickly. Not only does Chanyeol have to deal with an annoyed Kun who now has to stay to close up the store, but also a smug Sehun, who decided that they wanted to see Chanyeol off.

Chanyeol would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous, sitting with Sehun behind the counter while Kun is putting out the new records that just came. He’s slicked back his usually messy red undercut and traded in a ratty band tee-shirt for one of the nicer things Sehun had given him after one of their photoshoots: a soft, oversized red cardigan.

“Why are you even here, Sehunnie?”

They shrug. “Why not?”

Chanyeol sighs. “Is Jongdae recording late?”

“He’s a perfectionist,” Sehun replies, a hint of pride seeping into their words. “He’s almost done recording his album.”

Chanyeol turns towards Kun. He assumes the airpods in his ears are playing something but low enough that Kun can still hear people. “Hey Kun, how pissed is Taeyong at me for making you close?”

He watches Kun take out his phone and pause his music, turning towards them. “They’re not. They’re getting their hair done and it always takes ages anyway. It was the only time their friend could fit them in.”

“What color?”

“Split red and silver is what I think they finally decided on.”

“Like Todoroki?”

“They’re a fucking nerd,” Kun says fondly.

Chanyeol checks his phone; he has a message from Junmyeon saying he just left his place and will be there in a half-hour. It makes him even more nervous. It’s been ages since he’s gone on a date. He’s worried, what if it’s awkward? What if he can’t shut up, and Junmyeon ends up thinking he’s annoying?

“Stop,” Sehun says. Chanyeol turns to them and they continue, “Stop being nervous, it’ll be fine. If Kun can get Taeyong to like him you can get some tiny businessman to like you.”

“What if he thinks I’m annoying?”

Sehun sighs. “If he thinks you’re annoying than he’s not worth it, hyung. I’m sure he has an idea of what you’re like already, he probably wouldn’t have asked you out if he thinks that. It’ll be fine. Make sure he pays.”

The date goes better than Chanyeol thought it would. All the glimpses he’s gotten into Junmyeon’s personality since he’s started coming in have been true. He’s kind and embarrassing and just a little bit nerdy. He teases Chanyeol for being loud and maybe a bit obnoxious but he doesn’t seem to mind the way Chanyeol flails and gets excited about everything, indulging him by letting him talk his ear off about music. He talks too though, eagerly giving Chanyeol his opinions on the records he recommended, on what he’s been listening to lately.

It ends with Junmyeon asking if they can do it again soon and Chanyeol leaning down, carefully leaving a chaste kiss on his chapped lips. He sheepishly grins, taking in the surprise and blush on Junmyeon’s cheeks before waving awkwardly and crossing the station for his own line.

He probably looks like a fool the way he’s smiling the whole way home.

-

Junmyeon stops coming in to buy records for Yixing but he comes in all the time for Chanyeol. He waits behind the counter while Chanyeol locks everything up for the night. He talks to Kun about 80s alternative _and_ to Taeyong about punk music. Junmyeon always surprises him with the variety of music he actually listens to. He integrates himself into Chanyeol’s everyday life like he’s supposed to be here. Even Sehun likes him, constantly badgering him whenever he comes into the store.

Chanyeol watches Junmyeon and Kun talk about Echo & The Bunnymen for way too long. He doesn't know enough about them to follow the conversation and he and Junmyeon can leave to get dinner with Minseok and Yixing whenever but there’s something endearing about how enthused they both are, so he doesn’t want to interrupt quite yet.

He slinks up behind them, wrapping his arms around Junmyeon and resting his chin on his head. “We gotta go, hyung.”

“The way you flaunt your height is irritating,” Junmyeon replies.

“Junmyeon-hyung is right,” Kun says, heading towards the counter. “I’ll see you in the morning, Chanyeol-hyung.”

Chanyeol is finally meeting Junmyeon’s friends. He’s torn between being nervous and wanting to worship the ground that Yixing walks on for being the reason he got to meet Junmyeon.

“You sure they’re gonna like me?” Chanyeol asks as they walk down the street towards the station.

“Don’t be dramatic,” Junmyeon replies squeezing his hand, “Why wouldn’t they?”

**Author's Note:**

> thank u for reading!
> 
> [talk to me about exo<3](http://www.twitter.com/fleur_cannon) | [ cc ](https://curiouscat.me/yangyangsdemonparent)


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